I like the little things.

The season's first attempt at warm, cozy Christmas decorations, this. Nothing short of our own place and our own traditions will match the feeling I've been searching for since I moved away from my parents' house years ago. Each year, I seek it mostly in my imagination, but I'd really like to try this year to recreate it, even if it's not perfect, even if we're not there yet.

There is something about not only decorating, but the decorations themselves that signal a significant shift in spirit, I think. It's a constant reminder that this isn't a normal month, a normal season. There is magic, or should be magic, in the air and a sense of possibility and wonder. Naturally, it will take more than a few lights and some glass bulbs to inspire a feeling so holistic, but a small start is still a start, right?